FORGOTTONIA was the name given to a 16-county region in Western Illinois in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The name “Forgottonia” was created by Jack Horn, John Armstrong and Neil Gamm. The concept grew from the frustration of citizens and public officials of Western Illinois concerning the lack of state support for regional transportation, communication and infrastructure projects and economic development after World War II. Forgottonia represented a protest against inequalities in state and federal funding. An outstanding documentary about the history and legacy of Forgottonia can be watched here: CLICK.

This geographic region sits in the distinctive western bulge of Illinois that is roughly equivalent to the Military Tract created after the War of 1812. This wedge-shaped region lies between the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. 

The term ‘’Forgottonia’’ was used again in 1980s by then Congressman (now Senator) Dick Durbin, who represented the southern portion of the region. He expanded the definition to include communications (educational television, fiber-optic routes, etc.) and infrastructure services (private and public). The exodus of population and industries has continued and some towns have reached federal poverty levels, for the first time in the state’s history. Our project’s “The Great Western Illinois Experience” seeks to help several of the more prosperous towns to achieve their potential.

[the text above is culled from Wikipedia]

It is especially noteworthy that Macomb’s Convention and Visitors Bureau has adopted Forgottonia as a brilliant marketing tool by publicizing historic sites that have the potential to make the Macomb area “unforgettable”.

We also call attention to the extraordinary Forgottonia Project created by Cuba High School teacher, Joe Brewer.

Forgottonia speaks to a larger issue in Illinois, which is the rural-urban divide in the state. Not only did “Forgottonia” want to secede, there have been other attempts to essentially decouple downstate Illinois from Chicago, which dominates the political landscape and funding. This issue of “forgotten”, while humorous to some, is actually quite serious, accounting for the overwhelmingly “red” voter orientation in Illinois, which is characterized as a “blue” state because of the weight of Chicago. This cultural and political cleavage is discussed in a recent article in The Economist:
A special “shout out” to University of Illinois Extension: We greatly admire the Community and Economic Development offices of Extension.